Machine for operating on counters



Jan. 12, 1937. c. w. BAILEY MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON COUNTERS 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 14, 1955 Patented Jan. 12, 1937 UNITED STATS TOFF-ICE 2,067,813 MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON COUNTERS Stewart, Lynn, Mass.

Application December 14, 1935, Serial No. 54,459

20 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for operating upon counter blanks inpreparing them for use in the manufacture of shoes.

After the counter blank has been skived it is the practice to crimp thelower edge of the blank in order to facilitate the formation of theinturned heel seat flange in the molded counter. In one aspect thepresent invention comprises an organized machine having related skivingand crimping mechanisms cooperating in such a manner that bothoperations may be eifected successively and automatically in a singlepassage of a counter blank through the machine. To this end an importantfeature of the invention consists in a matrix roll skiving mechanism andcrimping rolls driven from a common source and so located that a skivedcounter blank may pass to the crimping rolls as it leaves the matrixroll and be thereupon subjected to a crimping operation throughout allor a portion of one edge. The machine of my invention is designed toinclude automatic feeding mechanism for delivering counter blankssuccessively to the matrix roll in the proper timed relation to causethe blank to be skived symmetrically at its ends. It is importanttherefore, that the action of the crimping rolls should also be timedwith respect to this feeding mechanism, and the combination of automaticfeeding mechanism with intermittently operating crimping rollsconstitutes another feature of the invention.

In short counters there .is no objection to crimping the entire loweredge of the blank'from one end to the other because the crimped portionor zone in a short counter is all utilized in the flange. In a longshank-fitting counter on the other hand, the forward corners of thecounter extend beyond the heel seat flange for an appreciable distanceinto the shank of the shoe. Under these conditions crimped corrugationsare not only unnecessary in the forward end of the counter, but they maybe positively objectionable, particularly in womens shoes in that theytend to show through the upper leather as a blemish on the otherwisesmooth surface of the shoe. With these conditions in view, the presentinvention contemplates a crimping mechanism so controlled in itsoperation that the crimped zone may be limited to a predeterminedportion of the counter, as for example, to an intermediate portion ofits lower edge leaving the end portions of the blank smooth anduncorrugated. In this connection an important feature of the inventionconsists in crimping rolls arranged to be maintained either in anoperative condition of crimping pressure or in a condition wherein theyare inoperative for crimping although maintaining a feeding engagementwith the counter blank. Thus, the crimping rolls may be employed forfeeding and crimping the blank or for merely feeding it.

The machine of my invention as herein shown is organized to perform thecomplete skiving operation upon successive counter blanks, andsuccessively to perform a controlled crimping operation thereon, that isto say, to crimp a predetermined portion of the edge of the counterblank located as desired in the blank and to the desired extent. In themachine herein shown, the skiving mechanism is constructed and arrangedto skive the entire lower edge of the counter blank and the crimpingmechanism to form in the skived edge of the counter a crimpedintermediate zone uniformly spaced from the ends of the counter. Otherfeatures of the invention consist in mechanism for advancing successivecounter blanks from the skiving instrumentalitiesyto the crimping rollsandfor properly guiding and controlling the movement of the blank fromone'to the other. These and other features of the invention will be bestunderstood and appreciated from the following description of a preferredembodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown inthe accompanying drawings, in which,-

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of the machine as seen from the rear orcounter-delivering side,

Fig. 2 is a sectional View of the operative parts of the machine, asseen from the side opposite that shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a portion of the counter feeding mechanism,

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of the guiding device leading to thecrimping rolls, and

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of the skived and crimped counter blank.

In the machine herein illustrated I have included counter skivingmechanism of the type disclosed in my prior Patent No. 1,600,968,granted September 28, 1926, although it will be understood that thepresent invention is not limited to that or to any specific counterskiving mechanism. Only so much of such mechanism is hereinshownasis-needed fora complete understanding of the invention and ,for furtherdetails of construction, reference may be had to my said patent aboveidentified. The machine frame l0 carries bearings for the main driveshaft H which may be rotated at suitable speed by a motor or drivepulley, not shown.

- shaft 35.

The frame also carries bearings for a pair of horizontal shafts, thelower shaft it being mounted in alignment with the drive shaft H andcarrying a toothed lower feed roll is, while the upper shaft it carriesthe cooperating matrix roll H. The drive shaft ll carries a pinion i2meshing with a pinion It. The latter pinion operating through backgearing, not shown, drives a pinion 15 on the feed roll shaft !8, andthe pinion E5, in turn, meshes with a pinion M on the matrix roll shaftit and with the result that the feed roll 19 and matrix roll H arepositively geared together and rotated at the same rate of speed.

The machine frame also carries a knife holder block 2i and an adjustableknife holder 22 by which a bevelled counter skiving knife 24 isaccurately positioned a slight distance behind the bight of the rolls lland it). The knife holder 22 is adjustably positioned upon the knifeholder block by an adjusting screw 23 and the knife 24 is adjustablypositioned on the knife holder by an adjusting screw 25 which acts as apositive abutment bearing against the rear edge of the knife. Unskivedcounter blanks are presented successively to the feed roll l9 and matrixroll I! by being advanced on the table 25 by an automatically actingfeed slide 2? which is timed with respect to the rotation of the matrixroll so that the counter blank is symmetrically skived at its ends andalong both longitudinal margins in a symmetrical manner. The end only ofthe feed slide 21 is shown in Fig. 2. The nature of the skivingoperation, as carried out by the mechanism thus far described, is wellindicated in the view of the counter blank shown in Fig. 5. Afterpassing the edge of the knife 24 the skived blank comes out upon anapron of sheet material which is pivotally supported upon a shaft 29,journalled between a pair of brackets 28 projecting upwardly from theknife holder block 2!. The shaft 29 is freely rotatable and carries anidle feed roll 39, preferably rubber, which will be referred tohereinafter.

Passing now to the crimping mechanism, it will be seen that the machineframe is provided with a pair of upstanding bearing brackets 35 arrangedat the rear of the machine and on either side of the path of the skivedcounter as it leaves the matrix roll ll. The brackets 34 are providedwith a series of bearings of which the lowermost pair carries thehorizontal driven This shaft is provided at its outer end with asprocket 36 and is driven through a sprocket chain 3'? by a drivingsprocket 38 fast on the main shaft M. It will noted therefore that thecrimping mechanism about to be described is driven positively by chainand sprocket drive in a definitely timed relation to the matrix roll 11.

The upright brackets 34 are also provided with bosses 39 in which areformed bearings for the lower crimping roll shaft it. Mounted forrotation upon the shaft 68 is a sleeve or quill 52 and rigidly securedthereto or formed as a part thereof is the lower crimping roll ii havinga corrugated operating face. The sleeve 4?. also carries a driven pinion33 and this meshes with an adle pinion 44 carried by a stub shaft set inthe left hand bracket 3d. The pinion M is in turn driven by the drivingpinion t5 fast upon the shaft 35. The lower crimping roll is thereforepositively driven at all times while the matrix roll is in action.

The upper crimping roll 46 is fast to or formed as a part of a sleeve orquill 13 which is rotatably mounted upon a shaft ii. The sleeve d8 alsocarries at one end a pinion 6E.- which meshes at all times with thepinion 43 on the lower crimping roll sleeve. The upper roll shaft f? isjournalled in vertically slotted bearings formed in the upright bracketsand is normally pressed downwardly through the medium of strongcompression springs to maintain the crimping rolls in operativerelation. During cer tain portions of the cycle of the machine, however, the shaft ii? is released from pressure, permitting the crimpingrolls to separate and portions of the counter blank to be fed betweenthem while in this inoperative condition without being subjected to anycrimping operation. To this end the upper portion of each bracket 24 isprovided with a vertical bore in which is mounted a stud fit, concave inits lower face to fit upon the end of the shaft 5?, and having adownwardly extending pin 3! which passes freely through a hole in theend of the shaft ll. The pins 6i prevent rotation of the shaft whilepermitting it to move freely up and down. Each stud is also providedwith an upwardly extending boss 62 upon which is centered the lower endof a stiff compression spring 63. The upper end of each spring 63 iscentered upon a similar boss projecting downwardly from a shoulders.stud or plunger 54, the upper end of the stud extending slightly abovethe top of the bracket member in which it is mounted.

Upon the upper end of each bracket member 3 is secured a bearing and inthese is journalled a horizontal shaft 66 carrying on each end a tappetarm ti engaging at its rear end the top of one of the plungers 6L At itsleft-hand end, as seen in Fig. l, the shaft 86 is provided with adownwardly extending cam arm (58 having a cam roll E9. The cam roll 59runs upon the periphery of a cam 18 which is adjustably secured inposition by a screw H passing through a curved slot in the cam and intothe outer face of a pinion l2 which is rotatably mounted on the lowercrimping roll shaft to. The pinion i2 is driven from a driving pinionkeyed to the shaft 35 through an intermediate pinion it mounted upon astub shaf which is journalled in the left hand bracket 34 as shown inFig. l.

The cam roll E9 is held at all times against the periphery of the cam 19by the reaction of the compression springs 53 against the tappet armsEl.

The cam 15 is provided with a single long throw in its periphery and isgear driven to make one revolution to each single revolution of thematrix roll ll. While the high or throw portion of the cam is acting itholds the tappet arms 6'! downwardly, in position to compress thesprings 63 and hold the upper crimping roll in operative position,although permitting it to yield slightly to accommodate difference inthickness of the counter being operated upon. When, however, the lowposition of the cam comes around the cam arm 68 is permitted to swing ina direction to raise the tappet arms 3?, thus periodically releasing theupper crimping roll so that it merely feeds that portion of the counterwhich happens to be beneath it and does not crimp it, but leaves it assmooth as when it passes from the skiving knife.

As will be understood the cam '18 is adjusted so that its throw becomeseffective while the intermediate portion of the counter blank is passingbetween the crimping rolls and the tapthese rolls.

pet arms are forced downwardly and held while this portion of thecounter is passing. By loosening the screw H the cam ill may be advancedor retarded in its position with reference to the pinion l2 and thus thelocation of the crimped zone in the counter may be shifted and adjustedcentrally or nearer to one end of the counter than the other accordingto the requirements of the work in hand.

It will be further understood that the compression springs 63 arecompressed by the tappet arms while the throw portion of the cam i8 isacting, with the result that the crimping rolls are forcibly heldtogether and are effective to form a crimped zone throughout theintermediate portion of the lower edge of the counter blank as shown inFig. 5. When the low portion of the cam l8 comes into action the springs63 are released and permitted to elongate. The upper crimping roll isthus freed from pressure and is slightly elevated by the action of thetension springs 13 which are connected to the op posite ends of theupper crimping roll shaft fill, extending upwardly therefrom to thesides of the brackets in which the shaft Gt: is journalled. This permitssufiicient separation of the crimping rolls to terminate the crimpingoperation although the rolls retain feeding engagement with the counterand are eifective in feeding the blank fully from the machine.

In order accurately to guide the skived counter blank as it passesrearwardly from the rolls ii and i9 9. pair of spaced guide plates 52and 53 is provided immediately behind the bight of The plate 52 is bestshown in Fig. 4 as secured by screws at either end to a pair of spacedarms and constitutes with them a frame pivotally mounted to swing aboutthe axis of the shaft 47. The lower guide plate 52 carries at one edge astationary edge guide 5% comprising a vertically disposed plate recessedat its lower edge to fit adjacent to the idle feed roll 36. It projectsrearwardly behind the rear edge of the guide plate 52 and supports onits upper edge the upper guide plate 53. An adjustable edge gauge plate55 is mounted adjacent to the stationary edge guide 54 and may beadjusted at its forward end by a pin and slot connection with the lowerguide plate 52. It will be understood that, as shown in Fig. .4 theguide mechanism is oppositely arranged in the machine from the positionshown in. Fig. 2. A guard strip 11 is arranged in position to protectthe pinion 49. A vertically disposed guard strip has a hinged connectionwith the under face of the guide plate 52 hanging downwardly.

The operation of the machine will be clear from the foregoingdescription, but may be briefly summarized as follows: The fiat andunskived counter blanks are placed on the table and advanced one by oneby the forward movement of the feed slide 2'! properly timed to meet thematrix roll H where the periphery thereof is shaped to force the blankdownwardly for a maximum skiving operation. The advancing end of theblank is thereupon skived on a long bevel while its center portion isleft substantially full thickness. The lower margin of the blank isskived on a relatively short bevel and the upper margin of the blank isskived continuously on a long bevel. The rear end of the counter isskived similarly to the advancing end, all as shown in Fig. 5. As theskived counter blank leaves the matrix roll its advancing end is caughtby the feed rolls and 58 and it is advanced to the crimping rolls 4| and46 -which, as already explained, are timed so as to be released andpermit the advancing end of the skived blank to pass without crimpingaction. When the desired portion of the blank has passed the rolls inuncrimped condition the throw of the cam it becomes eifective tocompress the spring 83 and establish an operative relation between thetwo crimping rolls which thereupon operate to impart the crimped zone tothe lower edge of the blank throughout a predetermined distancedetermined by the throw of the cam. In order to terminate the length ofthe crimped zone the upper crimping roll is now released and thecrimping rolls maintain their feeding engagement with the uncrimped endof the counter in ejecting it from the machine. The relative movement ofthe crimping rolls from crimping to feeding condition is not sufficientto disturb the driving engagement of the pinions t3 and 49.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is,-

1. A machine for operating on counter blanks, including a matrix rollskiving mechanism, cooperating crimping rolls, a common actuating meansfor driving the matrix roll and crimping rolls, and mechanism forinterrupting the effective operation of the crimping rolls independentlyof the skiving mechanism to cause a crimp= ing operation to be performedon a lesser portion of the counter than the portion thereof which isskived.

2. A machine for operating on counter blanks, including a matrix rollskiving mechanism constructed and arranged to skive both ends of acounter blank presented thereto, cooperating crimping rolls, a commonactuating means for the skiving mechanism and crimping rolls, and meansfor rendering the crimping rolls inoperative upon the end portions ofthe counter blank.

3. A machine for skiving and crimping counters, including skivingmechanism, cooperating crimping rolls, driving means therefor, andautomatic controlling means for throwing the crimping rolls out ofoperation during the passage of a counter which has been operated uponby the skiving mechanism.

4. A machine for operating on counters, comprising a pair of drivencrimping rolls, means for normally pressing the rolls together to causethem to crimp a counter blank passing between them, and controllingmeans acting automatically to release said rolls during the passage of apredetermined portion of the counter blank to relieve it from beingcrimped.

5. A machine for operating on counters, comprising a pair of drivencrimping rolls, means for normally pressing the rolls together withsufiicient pressure to crimp a counter blank passing between them, andcontrolling mechanism for said rolls acting to release said rolls whilean end portion of the counter blank is: passing between them.

6. A machine for operating on counters, comprising a pair of drivencrimping rolls, yielding means for pressing said rolls into crimpingrelation, and controlling mechanism for periodically releasing saidrolls to such an extent as not to subject a counter passing between themto crimping but to maintain feeding engagement therewith.

7. A machine for operating on counters, comprising a pair of corrugatedgeared rolls, springs for yieldingly pressing one roll toward the otherto cause the rolls to crimp a blank passed between the rolls, and camoperated mechanism for automatically releasing said springs throughoutthe passage of a predetermined portion of a counter blank between therolls.

8. A machine for operating on counters, comprising cooperatingcorrugated rolls geared together, driving means therefor, means forholding said rolls in a counter-crimping relation, cam operatedmechanism for automatically releasing the rolls during a predeterminedportion of the travel of the counter blank between them, and means foradjusting the timing of such release.

9. A machine for operating on counters, comprising a skiving knife,means including a matrix roll for feeding a counter blank to the saidknife, and crimping rolls located at the rear of said skiving knife andarranged to crimp a skived portion of the counter blank.

10. A machine for operating on counters, comprising a skiving knife,means including a matrix roll for feeding a counter blank to said knife,driven crimping rolls located at the rear of said skiving knife, andmeans for feeding a skived blank from said knife to said crimping rollsto crimp a skived portion of the counter blank.

11. A machine for operating on counters, comprising a skiving knife,means including a matrix roll for feeding a counter blank to said knife,driven crimping rolls located at the rear of said skiving knife, meansfor feeding a skived blank from the knife to the crimping rolls, andmeans for interrupting the crimping operation of the rolls during apredetermined interval While the skived counter blank is passing betweenthem.

12. A machine for operating on counter blanks, comprising a matrix rollskiving mechanism and a pair of crimping rolls located incooperativerelation, feeding mechanism located between the two foradvancing a skived blank from the skiving mechanism to the crimpingrolls, and mechanism operated from a common source for driving saidskiving, crimping and feeding instrumentalities.

13. A machine for operating on counter blanks, comprising matrix rollskiving mechanism, means for automatically feeding a blank thereto inpredetermined timed relation to the matrix roll, crimping mechanismarranged to crimp a skived blank advanced by the matrix roll, and acontrolling device for the crimping mechanism op- ,erating in definitelytimed relation to said automatic feeding mechansm.

14. A machine for skiving and crimping counters, including skivingrolls, cooperating crimping rolls, means for simultaneously driving thesame, and an automatic controlling device for throwing the crimpingrolls out of operation for a predetermined interval while the skivingrolls continue in operation.

15. A machine for skiving and crimping counters, including matrix rollskiving mechanism constructed and arranged to bevel one edge of acounter blank, crimping rolls located behind said skiving mechanism andarranged to crimp the beveled edge of the counter, and controlling meansfon governing the length of the crimped zone.

16. A machine for skiving and crimping counters, including matrix rollskiving mechanism, driven crimping rolls spaced therefrom, and a drivenfeed roll for engaging a skived counter blank as it leaves the skivingmechanism and advancing it to the crimping rolls.

17. A machine for skiving and crimping counters, including a framehaving a matrix roll journalled therein, a skiving knife associatedtherewith, brackets secured to the frame and carrying cooperatingcrimping rolls, a driving shaft for said crimping rolls also journalledin the brackets, and means for driving said shaft and matrix roll inpositively geared relation.

18. A machine for crimping counter blanks, including crimping rollshafts, one of which is journalled for bodily movement toward and fromthe other, a cam mounted on one of said shafts, shaft-controlling meansintermittently operated by said cam, and cooperating crimping rollsmounted on said shafts.

19. A machine for skiving and crimping counters, including skivingmechanism, crimping rolls spaced therefrom, and guiding means forcontrolling the movement of a counter blank after it leaves the skivingmechanism and directing it in accurate widthwise position to thecrimping rolls.

20. A skiving and crimping machine comprising skiving mechanism, meansfor automatically feeding successive blanks thereto in timed relation,crimping mechanism spaced from said skiving mechanism, and feeding meansarranged to engage each skived blank as it leaves the skiving mechanismand advance it into the effective range of the crimping mechanism.

CHARLES W. BAILEY.

